Flies at Mach 9, is maneuverable and is air to air, so planes such as bombers are the target, at launch a pilot has couple seconds to react before being obliterated.
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In a world where nations race to dominate hypersonic weaponry, China has quietly emerged with a potential game-changer. While most headlines focus on American and Russian advancements, Beijing has been working on something rather special – an air-to-air hypersonic missile reportedly capable of speeds over Mach 9. That’s nine times the speed of sound to you and I.
Details are sparse, but what is known hints at a weapon with unprecedented capabilities. The missile, according to reports, has passed final heat-resistance tests in China’s Mars Mission wind tunnel, a facility designed for simulating extreme environments like those faced by space probes landing on planets. This marks the first official acknowledgment of the weapon’s existence, as revealed in the peer-reviewed journal Equipment Environmental Engineering.
This isn’t your average piece of military hardware. The missile’s ability to survive temperatures exceeding 2,192°F (1,200°C) suggests that every inch of its structure – not just its nose cone – has been engineered to withstand the brutal forces of high-speed atmospheric travel.
Aircraft like the B-21 Raider stealth bomber rely on advanced defenses, but at Mach 9, a missile leaves pilots only seconds to react. Even the most sophisticated countermeasures would struggle against such speed.
Worse, these weapons are often maneuverable. Hypersonic glide vehicles, for example, can change course mid-flight, making them nearly impossible to intercept. If this missile has similar capabilities, it could neutralize traditional aerial defenses.
x.com
x.com
In a world where nations race to dominate hypersonic weaponry, China has quietly emerged with a potential game-changer. While most headlines focus on American and Russian advancements, Beijing has been working on something rather special – an air-to-air hypersonic missile reportedly capable of speeds over Mach 9. That’s nine times the speed of sound to you and I.
Details are sparse, but what is known hints at a weapon with unprecedented capabilities. The missile, according to reports, has passed final heat-resistance tests in China’s Mars Mission wind tunnel, a facility designed for simulating extreme environments like those faced by space probes landing on planets. This marks the first official acknowledgment of the weapon’s existence, as revealed in the peer-reviewed journal Equipment Environmental Engineering.
More on China’s Mars Mission wind tunnel
As explained, the Mars Mission wind tunnel, located in Luoyang, Henan province, operates by heating gas with an electric arc, generating airflows as hot as 21,500°F (12,000°C). Such conditions are rare and costly to simulate, but essential for evaluating the missile’s ability to withstand the extreme heat generated by air friction during hypersonic flight.This isn’t your average piece of military hardware. The missile’s ability to survive temperatures exceeding 2,192°F (1,200°C) suggests that every inch of its structure – not just its nose cone – has been engineered to withstand the brutal forces of high-speed atmospheric travel.
Aircraft like the B-21 Raider stealth bomber rely on advanced defenses, but at Mach 9, a missile leaves pilots only seconds to react. Even the most sophisticated countermeasures would struggle against such speed.
Worse, these weapons are often maneuverable. Hypersonic glide vehicles, for example, can change course mid-flight, making them nearly impossible to intercept. If this missile has similar capabilities, it could neutralize traditional aerial defenses.
